German Institute for Global and Area Studies

The German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) is a German research institute. It analyses political, economic and social developments in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East and combines this analysis with comparative research on international relations, development and globalisation, violence and security, and political systems. The GIGA advises the Federal Foreign Office and other branches of the federal government. Since 2009 it has had an office in Berlin.[1]

GIGA
German Institute for
Global and Area Studies
Founded1964 (as German Overseas Institute)
TypeFoundation under civil law
FocusPolitics, economics and society in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East; global connections
Location
Area served
International
MethodArea and comparative area studies
Key people
Amrita Narlikar (President since 2014)
Websitewww.giga-hamburg.de/en

The GIGA is a member of the Leibniz Association.

The GIGA in Hamburg, Neuer Jungfernstieg 21.

Research

The GIGA is an international research institute for area studies and comparative area studies. It employs approximately 160 people, 90 of whom are political scientists, economists, social scientists, peace and conflict researchers, or historians. The academics study the four global regions of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East[2] and simultaneously work within the four research programmes on the following issues: accountability and participation, peace and security, growth and development, power and ideas.[3]

Organisation

The GIGA was founded in 1964 as the German Overseas Institute (Deutsches Übersee-Institut) by the City of Hamburg and the Hamburg business community. It was initially the umbrella organisation for the Institute of Asian Affairs, the German Orient Institute, the Institute of Latin American Affairs and the Institute of African Affairs. In 2006, the institute adopted the name "GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies"; as of 1 May 2020, the name was changed into "German Institute for Global and Area Studies" ("for" instead of "of", and the acronym "GIGA" is no longer part of the name, but is still used as an acronym).

In the first decade of this century the German Overseas Institute underwent a transformation that saw the previously relatively autonomous regional institutes united as the GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies/Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien in 2007. Only the German Orient Institute did not take part in the fusion. However, the GIGA had already hired many of its employees.[4]

The GIGA collaborates with numerous universities, research institutes and expert associations around the world. It is represented on the boards of various academic networks, particularly those related to Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.[5][6][7][8]

The GIGA is a foundation under civil law and is based in Hamburg. It is jointly funded by the Federal Foreign Office, the Hamburg Ministry of Science and Research and the other federal states. The GIGA also receives external funding, which accounts for around 25 per cent of the total budget.[9]

Since 2014, Prof. Dr. Amrita Narlikar is the president of the GIGA. Together with the president, the GIGA executive board comprises Asia researcher Prof. Dr. Patrick Köllner (GIGA vice president), Middle East academic Prof. Dr. Eckart Woertz, Africa academic Prof. Dr. Matthias Basedau, Latin America expert Prof. Dr. Merike Blofield and Managing Director Dr. Peter Peetz.

International Networks

The GIGA serves as the central coordinator of various academic networks.

The Institutions for Sustainable Peace (ISP)[10] network undertakes research on measures to promote peace in post-war societies with partners from Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, England and Germany.

The Land Matrix project[11] is an online platform that collects global data on large-scale land acquisitions. The GIGA maintains the platform and evaluates the data.[12]

The academics in the Regional Powers Network (RPN)[13] are studying the global rise of the new regional powers. This is a joint project of the GIGA, the University of Oxford and Sciences Po, Paris.

As of July 2014 the GIGA is coordinating the International Diffusion and Cooperation of Authoritarian Regimes (IDCAR) network,[14] as part of which it is investigating, together with 12 international research institutes, the influence of and cooperation between authoritarian regimes on the international stage.

Publications

The GIGA publishes three open access series: the GIGA Focus, the GIGA Working Papers, and the GIGA Journal Family.

In addition, the GIGA collaborates with other institutions to publish the Iberoamericana journal and the Africa Yearbook series.

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References
  1. The GIGA Berlin Office
  2. GIGA's Research Areas: Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East
  3. The GIGA Research Programmes
  4. 50 Years of GIGA
  5. Asociación Latinoamericana de Ciencia Política (ALACIP)
  6. desiguALdades.net Archived May 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  7. Vereinigung für Afrikawissenschafen in Deutschland (VAD)
  8. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Asienkunde e.V. (DGA)
  9. Founding of GIGA
  10. Institutions for Sustainable Peace (ISP)
  11. "Web Platform www.landmatrix.org". Archived from the original on 2014-07-21. Retrieved 2014-07-24.
  12. The Research Project The Land Matrix at the GIGA
  13. Regional Powers Network
  14. International Diffusion and Cooperation of Authoritarian Regimes (IDCAR-Network)
  15. GIGA Focus
  16. GIGA Working Papers
  17. GIGA Journal Family


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